This thread is to justify the evo as a family hauler...currently use my evo primarily as a dd and can't justify getting a gas binging suv/ minivan for more space...i was looking into the wagons available out there - the impreza/ matrix/ fit/ etc...but the prices never justify the means...i was looking into saving some gas maybe in the fit or the scion xa maybe but they're small as hell...w/ the matrix/ small trucks like the highlander good gas mileage but overall the space (seating wise mind you) offered wasn't too much over than what the evo has now...
Hopefully i get an answer for those w/ two kids (maybe more) and have either kept their evo or gotten another car...our other car's a v6 jimmy which eats more petro than our beloved evo (go figure!) - i know that day will come when i'm going to have to give her up, but as of right now, i wouldn't know what to replace the evo with!

 

fit is a great choice for mileage and the yaris is very well equipped although i dont like the center dash.. and the fit has a LOONG waiting list right now. u would need a lot of luck or hookups on getting one. but yeah i SINCERELY consider the evo a family car.. as long as its stock but who has a COMPLETELY stock evo.. like 2-3% of the ppl on the boards KEEP THE EVO!

 

I have 2 kids, a 2yr old and a newborn, and I think the Evo is fine for a family car. There are basically only 2 things you need to take into consideration.

1. Will the car seats fit in the back seat while still giving the kids enough leg room?
2. Will you and the front seat passenger have enough leg room once you install the car seats?

I'm 5'8" and my wife's only about 5'2". My 2yr old is in a front facing seat (Eddie Bauer 3in1 Elite) behind the driver's seat. The newborn is in a rear facing seat (Combi Tyro) on the passenger side. Rear facing seats are longer than front facing so the front passenger seat has to be moved forward quite a bit. My wife just fits in the passenger seat. If she was any taller, the Evo wouldn't work for us. My wife's car is a Mazda 6 and we essentially have the same problem as the Evo...the front passenger seat has to be moved way up so only a short person would fit.

I don't know if getting a wagon type vehicle would be any better. They usually have the same amount of passenger leg room as a sedan, they just have more space behind the seats. A friend of mine has a Volvo XC70 and I swear there's less leg room in the rear seats than my Evo!

If I had to replace my Evo for a more friendly family hauler (not freaking likely), I'd probably take a look at the following:
Mazda CX7
Volvo V70R
Porsche Cayenne (base model, of course )
Acura RDX (out yet?)
BMW X3

 

as for my wife and i, we fit fine...i have a 4yr old (who loves to kick the back of my chair and leave scuff marks! ) and a 7mo old (seat to the back), but what happens if you add a third?

 

Evo is a great family car.

4 door, lots of trunk space, can maneuver away from crappy drivers and road debris.

good brakes, good lights, handles well, decent gas milage if you drive it right.

lots of space in my opinion front and back. you could have the evo fully loaded and still win a race(dont do it!!)

overall.... EVO IS GOD. lol

like the guy above.. said, i also like the Mazda CX7, and!!! i like the Mazda 6 AWD Turbo... its more luxery than the evo in my opinion.

 

than its time for a mini van my friend. or dont take everyone with you all the time haha. shooot, not much you can do when you get more than 2 kids. leave someone at home :P or take 2 cars... cant let the evo go.

anyone who gets an evo should never let it go. EVER.

 

its perfect for a starting family like me. Girl + one 9month baby. Baby also loves his new Recaro Baby Seat. I can fit a full size stroller with my Type-R sub and amp on a custom low depth box/rack.

 

Four year olds can be a handful. My son is four. He and his sister know that if they were to disrespect any of our cars, their parents would go apesh!t. That's something they try to avoid at all costs. Needless to say, kicking the back of the seat wouldn't go over very well to say the least. At the risk of telling you how to parent, you may want to do something about this habit while you can.

 

I have a 6 month old daughter, and she prefers my car to the wife's CR-V. She finds the repetitive exhaust sound relaxing, and it puts her right to sleep.

 

with the fuel prices rising, the evo is actually my most efficient family car, daily driver and toy {20-21 mpg city, 25-26 hway thumbup} the honda pilot is the soccer mobile for school and looong road trips(14-17mpg). the IS300 is used occasionally when the pilot or evo is tired (17mpg city). evo has more second row legroom, relative fuel efficiency and fun factor. (yup two kids).

 

they keep doing kicking it until past 6, I'll let you know when they stop. They also like to walk through wet grass, then sand/gravel, and then cross their legs leaving piles and sand on the back seat as well. Thank god I got leather interior.

 

In my opinion the EVO will be sufficient as family car w/ two kids, but you need to look at many different factors. If you need strollers you loose your cargo space in a flash. If you need to take kids friends or family the EVO won't cut it. You also have to factor in finances. I use my EVO as a daily driver and to take the kids to day care, but take the wife's MDX for everything else. Try and get the wife to purchase something to replace the Jimmy that is more efficient and provides more room w/ a possible third row seat. Do you need AWD? If so look at something similar to a Pilot. Out kids (2, 5, and 13) love Mom's MDX... They love the third row seat and DVD system. The NAV is also wonderful on adventures that we don't take everyday. It's pricless to have the wife no worry about getting lost. Also, look into crash testing. I don 't think the EVO fairs all that well.

Take care,
Charlie

 

I would definately look towards that new mazda Suv....4wd, turbo, and pretty spacious.

Also dont rule out VW, as far as gas milage goes thier direct injected diesel cars are very good, and have a nice touch of class.

 

I am buying an evo within the next 2 months (my big fat bonus should cover it! ) anyway, I have 3 boys, ages 7, 5, & 2 and I currently have an oldsmobile alero and my wife has a mazda protege' 5 (both cars bought when we only had 2 kids). But both cars fit all 3 car seats just fine. They're a bit tight due to the width of the back seat, but all are anchored & installed correctly & safely. They have plenty of legroom (kids have little legs anyway) and I have plenty of room for my 6' frame. When I test drove an evo I sat in the back seat to check out the roominess and was pleasantly surprised that it was slightly bigger than my Alero. After the test drive I put all 3 carseats in the back of the evo to insure they fit with no problems, and they worked just fine.

When my 3rd child arrived EVERYONE asked what minivan or SUV's we were going to buy. I don't understand why people think that they need to have a gigantic vehicle just because they have children??? But I'm equally confused by parents who feel they "need" a TV in their vehicles to keep the kids quiet & happy (but I'm old fashioned like that)

I think the Evo would be a fine family car. The only thing I worry about is the low side impact rating it received (may still opt for a Volvo S60R because of it).

 

Bought the MR as a DD - took two teen-agers and lots of stuff on a 350 mile round trip to the beach and found it had more room than the WRX wagon we took last year. It's a great DD for a small family, imo. Gets 25 mpg on the highway, winter capable, etc. Only drawback is side impact resistance; just don't get into that kind of situation, I guess. The car does have more evasive capability than a mini-van, that's for sure, so if you're able to drive out of trouble, the side impact may not be as much of a factor. Still I think about that drawback and think it will probably be addressed in the new X.